The biggest loss is yet to come
by Garnetto
Summary: What happened when Sarah drifted ashore, her mother dead beside her? How did she become Princess?


"Noooo!" she screamed. "Mommy! I want my mommy!"  
  
"Sire, the child is scared, if we are not careful we may kill her..."  
  
"Hmmm....come now child....please calm down...."  
  
The little girl struggled for her life. Who were these strange people?  
  
Where was her mother? Was she still sleeping in that boat?   
  
"Mommy!" she screamed again.  
  
"Dr. Tot..." the man with the beard said, turning to some funny looking man with a beak.  
  
The last thing the little girl remembered was the bird man coming towards her with some sort of mask. He had a sad look on his face.  
  
Then she must have fainted...or something.  
  
When the girl awoke, she was in bed. It wasn't her bed....  
  
Sunlight was flooding into the room, making everything sparkle.  
  
She looked around. It was huge and ever so posh looking.  
  
Her head hurt. The little girls held it...but noticed there was something round it.  
  
A Bandage? Why was that there?   
  
She was scared now....was she hurt?  
  
She pulled off the bandage and touched her head.  
  
Blood??  
  
She tried to scream. She couldn't. What had they done to her?  
  
She jumped out of her bed and ran to the door. She pulled and pulled at it.  
  
"Ahhh!" she yelled, banging and kicking it. SHe burst into tears, looking around the room for another exit.  
  
Suddenly...something caught her eye. Her reflection...in a mirror.  
  
She paused...staring in disbelief at what she saw.  
  
The little girl slowly stepped towards the mirror, her eyes wide and her hands inches from her head.  
  
Her horn....  
  
it was gone.  
  
She shook her head, tears streaming down her face. Again she fainted.  
  
"Girl? Wake up Girl!" A familiar voice whispered.  
  
"She....she looks so much like her...." another voice said, female this time.  
  
The little girl did not open her eyes. She was still too weak from loss of blood.  
  
Instead she lay there, listening to the two people speak.  
  
"Where did she come from?" the woman said, bringing her voice down to a whisper.  
  
"Dr. Tot seems to think she was a summoner...."  
  
"Madain Sari?"  
  
"It seems so," the man said.  
  
There was a knock at the door.  
  
"Enter!" the man said, raising his voice slightly.  
  
The door opened and someone entered.  
  
"Sire....the Princess..." the bird man said, a sound of anguish in his voice.  
  
The little girl could hear the two people rise from her bed and head to the door, quite rushed.  
  
She was alone again.  
  
Where was she? Why had they taken away her horn....she was too tired to think. Maybe some more sleep would help....  
  
"Mommy?" she said, opening her eyes slowly.   
  
"Hello..." a voice said.  
  
"Bird man?" she whispered, looking around.  
  
"Hohoho....yes...I suppose I am. My name is Dr. Tot, whats yours?" the bied man said, coming into view.  
  
"Sarah..." the little girl said. "Wheres my mommy..."  
  
Dr. Tot paused. She bowed his head. "You're mother was hurt..."  
  
Sarah sat up. "Is she ok? I'm hurt to look! But I'm a big girl, my mommy is a big girl to..."  
  
Dr. Tot smiled. "Yes...you are. But...you're mother...she...she..."  
  
Sarah looked confused. "She what?"  
  
Tot sighed. "She returned to the planet...as it were."  
  
There was silence. Sarah's eyes began to water.   
  
"You understand then..."   
  
Sarah wiped her sleeve across her eyes. "Am I alone?"  
  
Tot smiled. "Of course not Sarah..."  
  
Suddenly the door opened.  
  
A man walked in. He was dressed in a long red robe. He had a dark grey beard and sparkling blue eyes. A smile was fixed upon his face.  
  
A Woman walked in behind him. She was thin, with blue skin and long blonde hair. She wore a long red dress. Both the man and the woman had crowns on.  
  
Sarah looked scared.  
  
"Hello there," the man said. His voice was very familiar. Sarah remembered him from the shore...  
  
"Hullo..." Sarah whimpered.  
  
The man and woman slowly walked towards her bed.  
  
"How are you feeling?" The woman said.  
  
"My head hurts...and I miss my mommy..." she whimpered again.  
  
The woman smiled before taking a seat on the bed next to Sarah.  
  
"You're safe now...and don't worry, Dr. Tot here is going to make you feel all better." She smiled again.  
  
Sarah looked at her before looking at Tot and the other man. She gave a faint smile.  
  
"My name is Queen Brahne," the woman said. "This is my husband, King Alexander."  
  
"Wow...I'm Sarah..." Sarah whispered, looking in awe at the King and Queen.  
  
The Queen's smile turned into an anguished one. Tears seemed to be filling up in her eyes.   
  
Sarah turned her head.   
  
"I'm sorry," Brahne said, shooting up and heading for the door. The King followed.  
  
Sarah looked sad.  
  
"Don't worry, you didn't do anything wrong..." Tot said.  
  
A few days went by. Sarah was up and about her room, playing with all sorts of toys.  
  
"Sarah?" a voice said at the door.  
  
"Enter!" she said, getting up and running to the door.  
  
The door opened and Dr. Tot was standing there, a big smile on his face.  
  
"Good morning!" Sarah beamed.  
  
"Morning Sarah, how are you today?"  
  
"Gooooooooooood!" She beamed again.  
  
"Listen...how about you and I go for a walk today?" Tot said.  
  
"Around the castle?"   
  
"Yes, I suppose so."  
  
"Woooo!" Sarah squeeled.  
  
She hadn't been allowed to see the castle yet. Brahne and Alexander hadn't allowed it...Sarah didn't know why. She was only 4...she didn't know a lot of things.  
  
"Good morning Tot!" a man in armour said, Saluting.  
  
"Captain Steiner! How wonderful it is to see you!" Tot smiled.  
  
"Yes, it is a fine da-" Steiner paused. "P-Pr-Prin-" she suddenly dropped to his knees. "Princess Garnet?!"  
  
Sarah looked confused at the man. "Hehehe, he called me princess!"  
  
Steiner looked up. "Princess....you're well! Oh thank the Lord..."  
  
"Steiner..." Tot said.  
  
"Its a miracle! Only the other day you were lying there so-"  
  
"STEINER!" Tot yelled. "Allow me to introduce you to Sarah...an orphan girl the King and Queen have adopted."  
  
Steiner paused. His mouth shot open. "S-Sarah? O-Orphan?"  
  
Tot nodded.  
  
"I-I see....excuse me..." Steiner said, nodding to Sarah and grabbing Tot. "She looks..."  
  
"I know..." They whispered. "I think that is why King Alexander wanted her..."  
  
"And what of the Princess?" Steiner whispered, looking over his shoulder at Sarah who smiled.  
  
"Any day...." Tot sighed.  
  
"I see..."  
  
The two turned back around, Sarah smiling still, her hands behind her back, her hips swinging. "Who's Princess Garnet?"  
  
The two paused.   
  
"Eh..." Steiner said, scratching his head.  
  
"Why....eh...you are!" Tot blurted out.  
  
"Hehe, no silly! I'm Sarah!"   
  
"I-Its a game!" Tot said again.   
  
"Ohhhh I'm a Princess!" Sarah said, skipping around the courtyard. "Princess Garrrnnnneeeettt!"  
  
Steiner bowed his head. "Exactly like her..."  
  
A few more days had passed. Sarah was allowed to walk freely around the castle and the castle grounds....but never venture outside or venture to the north tower.  
  
She never questioned this, and she went on living her her days playing with Steiner, Tot and Beatrix, a female General.  
  
"Hide and Seek!" Sarah beamed. "It'll be fun! Theres lots of places to hide here!"  
  
Tot smiled. "Hoho...ok..."  
  
"Quick! You gotta count to 100 and me and Steiner and Beatrix all gotta go and hide and then you gotta come and find us and then-"  
  
"Hohoh I know Sarah, I know." Tot patted her on the head. "1....2....3"  
  
Sarah screamed. "Come on!!! HIDE!" She laughed, running away.  
  
Steiner and Beatrix ran in the opposite direction, big smiled all on their faces.  
  
Sarah ran and ran untill she was somewhere she had never been before. She looked up. The roof was high.  
  
"Wow..." she said to herself. She was standing in a hallway, a large door lay at the end. The lighting was dingy, the wind howled through the cracks making Sarah feel like she wasn't alone.  
  
She carried on down the hall, looking up at the roof and at the coats of armour that were on the wall.  
  
She opened the door.   
  
"Sarah!" a faint voice called. It was Tot.  
  
"Uh oh!" she giggled, running through the door and up the long staircase. "Hehe, I'm gonna win!" she giggled to herself again.  
  
At the top of the stairs was another door. She opened it and ran into the room, closing the door behind her. She leant against it, listening out incase Tot had seen her.  
  
She giggled again.  
  
"Mother?" a voice said.  
  
Sarah spun around, her eyes wide and her breathing heavy. "Whos there?!" she said quietly, fear in her voice.  
  
Straight ahead was a bed, Sarah hadn't seen it because it was dark...but now her eyes had adjusted.  
  
There was someone lying in the bed...a girl?  
  
"Who are you..." she said. "Come closer..."  
  
Sarah shook her head. "A-are you a ghost?"  
  
The girl coughed. "No...are you?"  
  
Sarah shook her head.  
  
"Come closer..."  
  
Sarah swallowed hard. She took a step forward. Her heart was pounding.   
  
As she got nearer, she could see more clearly. It WAS a girl...about her age.  
  
She had curtains around her bed so Sarah couldn't see her face too well.  
  
"Whats your name..." the girl said.  
  
"Sarah..."  
  
"I'm Princess Garnet..." the girl said.  
  
Sarah shook her head. "Thats my play name..."  
  
"Play name?" Garnet said, coughing again.  
  
"Yeah, with Steiner and Tot and Beatrix..."  
  
"Oh..." Garnet said, bursting into a violent coughing fit.  
  
"Are you sick?" Sarah said.  
  
"Yeah..."  
  
"Shall I get Dr. Tot?" Sarah smiled, heading back towards the door.  
  
"No, he doesn't make it better," Garnet spluttered.  
  
There was a pause.  
  
"Do you live here?" Garnet finally said.  
  
Sarah nodded.  
  
"I've never seen you before..."  
  
"I was with my mommy on a boat before it crashed..." Sarah sniffed.  
  
"Is you're mommy here to?"  
  
"No...she died..." Sarah sighed.  
  
"How?"  
  
"Dunno...she never woke up..."  
  
There was another pause while Garnet coughed some more.  
  
"Come closer," Garnet whispered.  
  
Sarah walked forward again.  
  
"Sit on my bed."  
  
Sarah swallowed hard. She pulled back the curtain and starred in horror at what she saw.  
  
Garnet did the same.  
  
"Waaaa..." they both said together.  
  
"You look like me!" Sarah beamed.  
  
"You look like me!" Garnet replied.  
  
They both laughed.  
  
It was true. They were a spitting image of each other. The only difference was Garnet was pale, her eyes were puffy and her lips were blue.  
  
"How comes you're up here?" Sarah said, taking a seat on the bed.  
  
"I'm ill. I can't walk around so I have to stay in bed." She coughed.  
  
"Oh...wheres you're mommy?"  
  
"My Mommy is the Queen!" Garnet smiled.  
  
"Oh! You're mommy is nice to me."  
  
"My mommy is the best!"  
  
There was another silence.  
  
"How come you look like me?" Sarah said.  
  
"How old are you?" Garnet spluttered.  
  
"4..."  
  
"Me to!"  
  
"Wow...maybe we're twins! Or sisters!" Sarah beamed.  
  
"Yeah...who knows!" Garnet coughed again, this time for a while.  
  
"I don't feel so good.." she said inbetween coughs. She began to cry.  
  
"Garnet?" Sarah said.   
  
Suddenly the door shot open.  
  
"Sarah?!" Brahne yelled. "What are you doing here?!"  
  
Brahne grabbed Sarah's hand and led her out the door. "Steiner, take her back to her room and keep her there!" Brahne yelled again.  
  
"Is Garnet gonna be ok?!" Sarah said as Steiner picked her up and ran down the stairs.   
  
"Tot!" Brahne yelled.  
  
"Sarah?" a voice said.  
  
Sarah opened her eyes to see Brahne there.  
  
"Morning Queen Brahne.." she said, wiping the sleep away.  
  
"Good morning..."  
  
There was a pause while Sarah yawned.  
  
"Look...about yesterday..." Brahne said.  
  
"Is Garnet ok?" Sarah said, stretching and sitting up in her bed.  
  
"....Yes...but listen...Sarah...we told you not to go there...."  
  
"I'm sorry...I didn't know where I was..." Sarah said.  
  
Brahne paused. She leant over and kissed Sarah on the forehead.   
  
"Can I go see Garnet again?" Sarah smiled.  
  
Brahne got up and headed for the door, not looking back. "Maybe..."  
  
The next day, Garnet went for a walk around. "Morning Steiner!"  
  
"O-Oh...Sarah...good morning..."  
  
"You look sad! Whats wrong?" Sarah beamed.  
  
"N-Nothing.....I think his Lordship is looking for you...in Garnet's room."  
  
"Ohh! I'm gonna go see her! Maybe shes better today so we can go play!"  
  
Steiner bowed his head, and watched as Sarah skipped off to the tower.  
  
"Garnet!" she yelled, knocking on the door. There was no answer. "Garnet?" Again...nothing.  
  
She shrugged and opened the door. The room was light today....the curtains had been drawn from the window and a ray of light shone onto the bed where Garnet lay.  
  
"Wake up!" Sarah smiled, skipping towards her bed. "Garny?"   
  
Garnet lay there, eyes closed. SHe looked paler today, her lips even more blue.  
  
Sarah poked her. "Garny? Wake uuuupppp!"   
  
Nothing.  
  
She shook her. "Garnet....?"  
  
Sarah shook her head. This reminded her of something....  
  
"Please wake up..." Sarah sniffed. "Mother didn't..."  
  
Still, Garnet lay there.  
  
"Please....wake up...." Sarah sniffed again, tears streaming down her face.  
  
Garnet collapsed to her knees, her head in her hands on the bed, crying.  
  
A few moments later, Sarah felt a hand rest upon her shoulder. She looked up. "Garnet.....?"  
  
Still...Garnet lay there.  
  
"I'm afraid shes gone..." King Alexander said.  
  
Sarah turned round and looked up at him. His eyes were red and he was as pale as Garnet.  
  
Sarah bowed her head. She was used to loss.....  
  
A few weeks passed. Sarah was still a bit sad about the loss of Garnet.  
  
She was playing in her room when there was a knock.  
  
"Yeah?" she said.  
  
The door opened. In Walked Queen Brahne, who had begun putting on weight from depression, Dr Tot, and King Alexander who seemed to be looking 10 times older each day.  
  
"Sarah?" Alexander said, smiling weakly. "How would you like to be a Princess?"   
  
Queen Brahne's eyes watered.   
  
"A Princess? Me? Like Garnet?" Sarah said, shooting up.  
  
"Yes, like Garnet," Tot said.  
  
"Princess Sarah..." Sarah smiled. "If I'm gonna be Princess, can I change my name?"  
  
Alexander stepped forward. "You can change it to anything you want..."  
  
Sarah beamed. "Ohhh...can I be...Garnet?"  
  
There was a pause. Only the muffled weeps of Brahen trying to hold it in could be heard.  
  
"Princess Garnet..." Brahne smiled.   
  
It had taken Brahne a while to accept that Garnet was dead, and Sarah was her replacement.  
  
The people of Alexandria Mourned the death of Garnet, but welcomed the new Princess.  
  
Tot began giving Sarah lessons on being a Princess, and he began educating her about the world.  
  
Whenever Sarah mentioned her home town or anything about Garnet or the past, everyone ignored it.  
  
In time, Sarah forgot about her horn, she forgot about her mother, she forgot about Madain Sari, she forgot about Garnet, and she forgot aboutt he name Sarah.  
  
She was now Princess Garnet and one day she would rule.  
  
Brahne had accepted her, but over the time it had taken, she had changed. She had put on a lot of weight, no longer beautiful.  
  
King Alexander had grown ill due to his ageing.  
  
His time was almost up. Again...Sarah had lost.  
  
But it was only the beginning of her loss............. 


End file.
